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Welcome back, friends! Apologies for the brief delay in getting this episode out. We're now happily back on track and super stoked for what we have coming up—starting with today's episode. My guest is Dr. Michael Tomasello, a voraciously interdisciplinary thinker, an incredibly productive scientist, and a pioneer in the systematic comparison of chimpanzee and human capacities. Mike is a Distinguished Professor in the department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, where also holds appointments in Evolutionary Anthropology, Philosophy, and Linguistics. He is the author of growing list of influential books, including the recent Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny and a new book coming out this fall titled The Evolution of Agency. In this conversation, Mike and I talk about how he came to study both children and chimpanzees. We discuss the challenges of working with each of these groups—and the challenges of comparing them. We talk about some of the key concepts that have figured prominently in Mike's work over the years—like joint attention and false belief—and well as some of the concepts he's been elaborating more recently—including norms, roles, and agency. We also discuss Vygotsky and Piaget; how humans got started down the path toward intense interdependence and cooperation; and what Mike thinks he got wrong earlier in his career. Lots in here, folks—let's just get to it. On to my conversation with Dr. Michael Tomasello. Enjoy! A transcript of this episode will be available soon. Notes and links 3:30 – Early in his career, Dr. Tomasello was affiliated with the storied Yerkes Primate Center. 5:00 – Major works by Lev Vygotsky (in translation) include Mind in Society and Thought and Language. 7:00 – A video about some of the early work of Wolfgang Kohler. 10:30 – Dr. Tomasello is the Emeritus Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. 17:00 – A chapter outlining some key results of “looking time” (or “preferential-looking”) experiments in developmental psychology. 21:00 – A recent article by Cathal O'Madagain and Dr. Tomasello about “joint attention to mental content.” 25:00 – A paper by Holger Diessel on demonstratives and joint attention. 25:00 – A video describing work that Dr. Tomasello and colleagues have carried out on chimpanzee theory of mind. A 2019 general audience article summarizing the state of this research. 28:00 – Dr. Tomasello's book on child development, Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny, was published in 2018. 31:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Tomasello on the importance of roles in human cognition and social life. 34:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Tomasello on the psychology behind the human sense of obligation. 35:00 – A paper of Art Markman and C. Hunt Stillwell on “role-governed categories.” 36:00 – A paper by Christophe Boesch on “cooperative hunting roles” among chimpanzees. 38:00 – A very recent paper by Dr. Tomasello, “What is it like to be a chimpanzee?” 39:15 – A study by Dr. Tomasello and colleagues about whether apes (and children) monitor their decisions. 40:45 – Dr. Tomasello's most cited book, The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition, was published in 2001. 43:00 – Dr. Tomasello's next book, The Evolution of Agency, will be published in September by MIT press. You can read more about Dr. Tomasello's work at his website. Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) (https://disi.org), which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from assistant producer Cecilia Padilla. Creative support is provided by DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd (https://www.mayhilldesigns.co.uk/). Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala (https://sarahdopierala.wordpress.com/). You can subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. **You can now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here!** We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website (https://disi.org/manyminds/), or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.
What is the definition of peace in a world filled with systemic racism and oppression? Is it possible to hold struggle and triumph at the same time, and if so, how do we get there? In this series on social disparities, Dr. Jill Wener, a board-certified Internal Medicine specialist, meditation expert, and tapping practitioner, interviews experts in multiple fields relating to social justice and anti-racism. In this video, Jill interviews Adria Kitchens, anti-racism activist, program manager of Equitable Dinners, and senior certified Feminine Power coach. Adria shares her personal and professional journey from working as a neuroscience researcher at Yerkes Primate Center to becoming an antiracism educator and activist. She discusses the importance of art and story-telling in anti-racism spaces, and how cultivating the feminine power in each of us can help us to navigate life's challenges and opportunities, including internalized racism and oppression. She talked about one of her recent blog posts about Congressman John Lewis, whose 'Good Trouble' inspired her to write about the paradox of peace. Adria Kitchens has supported women in transforming their lives for over a decade. She specializes in working with self actualizing women; executives, experienced coaches, therapists, local and global leaders. Adria is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, a Certified Cultural Competency Facilitator, and a Certified Feminine Power Coach and Facilitator specializing in women's Transformational Leadership. Adria is currently the Equitable Dinners Atlanta Program Manager, leading a network of impassioned leaders to connect our communities, bring awareness to inequities, and activate anti-racist action. Adria has many years' experience supporting the growth and development of new and emerging organizations. Ms. Kitchens began her career in Neuroscience at Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University. She holds a Senior Certified Coach appointment within the Feminine Power Program, a global women's leadership community. She holds master's degrees in accounting & financial management and business administration and a BA in Natural Sciences. Her passion is supporting women in catalyzing their leadership. Connect with Adria: https://www.equitabledinners.com https://www.instituteforequityactivism.com https://www.coachadria.com Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/adriakitchens Read Adria's blog post on Good Trouble and the paradox of peace: https://shoutout.wix.com/so/d8NFF4Wvq#/main Follow Equitable Dinners on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/equitabledinners ** You can learn more about Dr. Wener and her online meditation and tapping courses at www.jillwener.com, and you can learn more about her online social justice course, Conscious Anti Racism: Tools for Self-Discovery, Accountability, and Meaningful Change at https://theresttechnique.com/courses/conscious-anti-racism. Join her Conscious Anti-Racism facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/307196473283408/ Follow her on: Instagram at www.instagram.com/jillwenerMD Twitter at www.twitter.com/jillwenerMD Facebook at www.facebook.com/jillwenerMDmeditation LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jill-wener-md-682746125/
There remain few areas of social life regarding which science has not uncovered major continuities between the behavior of humans and other primates, including politics, culture, and morality. Over the last few decades, the consensus has moved from human uniqueness in all of these domains to fundamental similarity. Our socio-emotional mind is essentially a primate mind. In this lecture, I will review similarities in power politics, transmission of knowledge and habits, and moral prerequisites, such as empathy and the sense of fairness. Based on research conducted by my team at the Yerkes Primate Center and elsewhere, the focus will be on specific, well-defined behavioral mechanisms that permit the complex social organization and extensive cooperation observed in monkeys, apes, and humans.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. It's nearly impossible to fake a laugh. Yet, humans will laugh even if something isn't funny. Discover the evolutionary function of cracking up and meet the other species that love to giggle (and monkey around). Also, hilarious science comedy. Yes, science comedy. Plus, teaching machines to write punch lines… and stretching – and splitting – your sides with laughter yoga. Guests: Frans de Waal - Primatologist, Emory University and the Yerkes Primate Center in Atlanta, Georgia Brian Malow - Science comedian Robert Provine - Neuroscientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore, author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation Tony Veale - Computer scientist and natural language processing researcher. University College, Dublin, Ireland Tommy Westerfield - Instructor, We Are Laughter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. It’s nearly impossible to fake a laugh. Yet, humans will laugh even if something isn’t funny. Discover the evolutionary function of cracking up and meet the other species that love to giggle (and monkey around). Also, hilarious science comedy. Yes, science comedy. Plus, teaching machines to write punch lines… and stretching – and splitting – your sides with laughter yoga. Guests: Frans de Waal - Primatologist, Emory University and the Yerkes Primate Center in Atlanta, Georgia Brian Malow - Science comedian Robert Provine - Neuroscientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore, author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation Tony Veale - Computer scientist and natural language processing researcher. University College, Dublin, Ireland Tommy Westerfield - Instructor, We Are Laughter
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. It’s nearly impossible to fake a laugh. Yet, humans will laugh even if something isn’t funny. Discover the evolutionary function of cracking up and meet the other species that love to giggle (and monkey around). Also, hilarious science comedy. Yes, science comedy. Plus, teaching machines to write punch lines… and stretching – and splitting – your sides with laughter yoga. Guests: Frans de Waal - Primatologist, Emory University and the Yerkes Primate Center in Atlanta, Georgia Brian Malow - Science comedian Robert Provine - Neuroscientist, University of Maryland, Baltimore, author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation Tony Veale - Computer scientist and natural language processing researcher. University College, Dublin, Ireland Tommy Westerfield - Instructor, We Are Laughter
Frans de Waal, Yerkes Primate Center, Emory University | Prosocial Primates: Empathy, Fairness, and Cooperation | Evolution of Brain, Mind, and Culture